There is a need in the industry of producing and filling flexible containers for transferring and cooling, in the shortest possible time, containers shortly after they are formed. Generally, flexible containers comprise a pouch, usually made of polyethylene (PE), and a spout through which the product maintained within the container, for instance a drink or a fruit juice or other beverages, can flow out from the container.
One known method of forming a flexible container is starting from a pouch having an opening, inserting the spout into the opening and securing it within the pouch by sealing the opening.
In accordance with one known method, the sealing operation involves heating the edges of the opening to cause a partial melting of the edges and causing them to adhere to the portion of the spout inserted into the pouch.
One need that the inventors recognized in the methods and systems known in the art is the need to cool the sealed area to prevent the crystallisation of the pouch material to improve its mechanical resistance.
Additionally, the inventors also recognized that there is a need to complete the cooling process in the shortest possible time, to avoid any negative impacts on the efficiency of the production cycle.